Door-opening device for vehicles.



E. B. RHODES.

DOOR OPENING DEVICE POB VEHICLES.

APPLIO'ATION rrLxzn 00T. 25. 1911.

1,022,262. Patented Apr. 2, 1912 FIG. 1

Anonmavs.

EWING B. RHODES, OF PITTSBURGH. PENNSYLVANIA.

DOOR-OPENING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Application filed October 25, 1911. Serial No. 656,642.

To ZZ whom it may concern.'

Re it known that I, EwiNo B. Rnoons, a citizen o't. the United States of America, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegj vented certain new and uset'ul improvements in Door-Opening Devices for Vehicles, ot' which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a door opening device for vehicles, and more particularly to a. mechanism that can be advantageously used in connection with automobiles.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of positive and reliable means, in a manner as will be hereinafter set forth, whereby a chauffeur or operator oit the automobile can quickly open the door thereof when the occupants desire to alight.

Another object of this invention is to provide an inclosed door operating mechanism for automobiles that will notl impair the general appearance of an automobile, but add to the pleasure and convenience ot using the machine..

A further object of this invention is to provide simple and etleetive means Jfor operating the latch of a spring pressed door, the mechanism being applicable to various types 'ot motor driven vehicles.

A still 'further object of this invention is to accomplish the above results by a mechanical construction that is simple, durable,'

easy to manipulate and highly eicient for the purposes for Winch 1t is intended.

lVit'h the above and other objects in view,'.

the body ot an. automobile in dotted lines,V

Fig. Q is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the automobile showing the ydoor thereof in a closed position, Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the door in an open position, Fig. t is a perspective view ot the operating levers of /thc door I neehanism, and

heny and State ot' Pennsylvania, have inl Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of a joint used in connection with the operating mechanism.

Ihe reference numeral 1 denotes a portion o'til the body ot an automobile having a hollow side wall 2 provided with a doorway adapted to be closed b v a door .4 hinged. as at 5 to the wall Q at one side of the doorway Il. The door 'it is hollow and within the t'ree edge ot the door there are arranged guides for a latch 7 having a beveled end 8 that permits of the latch 7 easily riding into a keeper opening t) in tbe wall 2, when the door 4 is swung to a closed position. '.lhc latch 7 has a vertical pin l0 pivotally connected, as at t1 to a rod 1Q. The opposite end of the rod 12 is pivotully connected, as at 13 to an arm 14; pivotally connected, as at 13 to an arm 14 pivotally mounted upon a transverse pin l5 arranged in the hollow door 4.

'lhe side wallV Q, adjacent to the chauffeur or operator-s seat ot the automobile is provided with a bearing 1G for an operating lever 17 having the upper end thereof provided with a handle 18. The bearing 1G is ot the ordinary and well known type that permits ot the lever 17 being locked in an adjusted position, similar to the operating levers of an automobile. Pivotally connected to the lower end of the operating lever 17. as at 19 is a reach rod Q0 and the rear end of said rod is pivotally connected, as at 2t to the crank 29 of a rock shatt 23. journaled in the hollow wall 2. lhe shalt 2,3 has an angle arm 24 within the wall 2,

and the upper end of said arm is adapted to extend thrmigh an opening 25 provided therefor in the wall ot the doorway 3. The end ot the arm Q4 is cut away, as at 25 to present a shoulder 26. Pivotally connected to the eutl away end of the arm 24 is a pin 27 that. extends through an opening 28 provided theretor in the hinged edge of the door Lt. The, pin .27 has a beveled face 29 to engage the shouldei` QG und maintain said pin in longit'lulinal alinemcnt with the upper end o't' tl i angle arm 24, when said arm is actuated. The manner of pivotally connecting the pin 2T to the arm Q-t permits of the pin 27 assuming a position at. an angle to the arm S24, when the door Lt is opened.

Secured to the inner side of the wall, ad-

jacent to the doorway 3, as at 3l) is e.

tlat

end of the pin 27 to engage the upper end of the arm 14. This arm, through the men dium of the rod 12, withdrawsthe latch 7 from the keeper opening Y9. A further movement of the lever 17 causes the upper end of the arm 24 to swingihe door open by reason of the pin 27 always remaining in engagement with the opening 28 oi the door. The pin 27 gradually assumes an angle relatively to the arm 24 and said pin retains the door open as long as t-he lever 17 islocked. Immediately upon the lever 17 being released from a locked position, the 4spring 31 which has been placed under tension by opening the door 1, restores said door to a closed position.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the greater part of the door operating mechanism is inclosed within the wall 2 and the door 4 of the. automobile, and that the operating lever 23 can be' associated with the controlling levers of the automobile and easily and quickly manipulated when it is Adesired to open the door 4.

I reserve the right to duplicate the door mechanism to that extent that the single operating lever 17 can be used for opening the various doors of a large automobile, and that the operating lever 17 can be located at any other point than that shown in connection with an automobile, whereby any of the occupants can easily reach the same without opening one or all of the doors of the automobile.

that I claim is 1. In a door operating mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a vehicle body having a hollow wall provided with a doorway and a hinged hollow door, of a rock shaft journaled in the hollow wall of said vehicle, an angle arm carried by said rock shaft within said wall, a pin pivotally connected to the end of the arm and eX- tending into an opening provided therefor in said door, and capable of opening the latter when said shaft is rocked, a latch arranged in said door and adapted to engage in vsaid wall to retain said door in a closed position, means vwithin saidr door and adapted to be actuated by said pin to release said latch to permit of the opening of the door by the pin, means connected to the innerside of said wall normally tending to maintain the door in a closed position, and means in'- cluding an operating lever and a? reach rod for rocking said shaft.

'2. In a door operating mechanism, the combination with a hollow wall having a hollow door hinged thereto, of a rock shaft journaled in said hollow wall, an angle arm carried thereby, a pin carried by the end of said angle arm and extending into said hollow door, means carried by theinner side of said wall and engaging with the door for tending to maintain it in a closed position, means arranged in said door and adapted to normally lock said door in a closed position, and means including an operating lever and a reach rod adapted to actuate said rock shaft and the last mentioned means whereby said door will be released and opened.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EWING B. RHODES.

Witnesses MAX H. SRoLowrrz, CHRISTINA' T. Hoon. 

